wonders and reflections in God's presence

Speaking out … more of us need to

OK … so while I was busy finding out what kind of a candy heart I am, Dwayne, my beloved valentine of 27 years, was doing some serious thinking and critical analysis of our political situation.

I think that’s indicative of where we are as a culture. We are far too easily entertained by “candy hearts” and trivial conversation, we convince ourselves that “reality TV” is what’s really going on the world, and we are mostly ignorant of the serious jeapardy our nation is in. We are too content to realize how bad things are. My concern is that we won’t “wake up” to reality, until it’s far too late.

My favorite theologian has been Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in part, because of his strong words about Christian community and our responsibility in speaking critically about our government. Also, as a kid, I often found myself wondering if I had been in nazi-Germany before WW2, would I have noticed or spoken out? We so often wonder “how did it happen?” Well … this … is how it happens.

Most of us are pretty content with our lives just as they are. We don’t want to rock the boat, things seem to be going fine, and while things aren’t great, we’re managing. The president tells us that our number one enemy is “out there” somewhere. He motivates us by fear and just enough information to keep us satisfied. The most dangerous enemy isn’t out there, it’s right here … we are so busy looking out there, that we ignore the elephant in the living room. Our economy is weak, our educational system is pathetic, our health care system is abominable, many of our corporations are about to implode if they haven’t already. And when we wake up … and “get real” as my candy heart says … then, we are so overwhelmed we want to retreat back to the entertainment-addicted stupor we were in. Now, don’t get me wrong … I am not blaming George W. Bush for all of our national ills … but I think he’s making things worse, not better. And I think we are spending far too much time with our heads in the sand …

Dwayne … I’m with you … I have been … I’m outraged … now, what are we going to do about it?